


Promise

by blackfin



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Implied Near Drowning, Kissing, Lovey-Dovey, M/M, Mentions of Drowning, Mentions of Nearly Drowning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2018-05-12
Packaged: 2019-05-05 16:26:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14622567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackfin/pseuds/blackfin
Summary: A trip out to a nearby lake takes a frightening turn when Xander nearly drowns. Thankfully, Ryoma is there to save the day and after learning of Xander’s inability to swim, he offers to teach him





	Promise

**Author's Note:**

> Requested by an anon on my tumblr, blackfen

Keeping one hand planted firmly on Xander’s chest, less to keep him in place and more to convey to Xander that he was there, right beside him, comforted by the steady rise and fall, nearly able to feel the heart beating furiously underneath muscle and bone, Ryoma patiently waited until the Crown Prince of Nohr opened his eyes, blinking blearily, water clinging to the long lashes, before saying, “You could have just mentioned that you didn’t know how to swim.”

“Must have slipped my mind.” Xander croaked, reaching up to cover the back of Ryoma’s hand with his own. Weaving his fingers through Ryoma’s, he turned to look up at him, “Thank you.” 

Keeping a stern expression on his face, despite wanting to smile, Ryoma brought his face closer to Xander’s, looked him deep in the eye and somberly said, “You frightened me. One moment you were right behind me, the next you’re plummeting to the lake bottom. Next time,” he squeezed Xander’s hand tightly, “don’t let things like this go unsaid.” 

“I won’t.” Xander coughed, bringing Ryoma’s hand up to his mouth. Softly kissing his knuckles, he said, “I’m afraid I have a confession to make.” 

“Oh?” 

“Yes. It is quite embarrassing, however, it is worth mentioning.” Settling a completely serious gaze on Ryoma, Xander said in a stoic voice, “I cannot swim.” 

Laughing softly, Ryoma quirked an eyebrow, “Really? I never would have guessed.” 

Xander nodded gravely, “It is a secret I have hidden for many years. I apologize for not telling you. Will you forgive me?” 

“I think I can find it in my heart to forgive you. However, I might need some incentive.” 

Without a word, Xander reached up, wrapped his hand around the back of Ryoma’s head and tugged him down, closing the small distance between them. Pressing their lips together, letting out a long, content breath through his nose, Xander weaved his wet fingers through Ryoma’s damp hair, lightly rubbing the patch of skin at the base of his skull. Stroking the pad of his thumb along the curve of his cheek, Ryoma pushed his tongue through Xander’s parted lips, smiling slightly when that elicited a soft moan and delightful shiver. Dragging the wonderful taste of Xander’s mouth back into his own, heat tingling over the surface of his damp skin, Ryoma hesitantly broke the kiss and leaned back with a big smile on his face. 

“Was that satisfactory?” Xander asked breathily, his pale cheeks dyed an adorable shade of pink. 

“Very much so.” Ryoma laughed, leaning back down to place a little kiss onto the tip of Xander’s nose, “If you will agree to it, I would like to teach you how to swim.” 

Tilting his head back to kiss the underside of Ryoma’s jaw, Xander murmured, “If you’re willing to teach, I will be willing to learn.” 

“Excellent.” Ryoma said happily. Standing, he held out a hand to Xander to help him to his feet, steadied him when he started to sway from the abrupt motion then took one of his hands into his own and began leading him back to the pond, “There’s no time like the present.” 

“What shall the first lesson of the day be, my teacher?” Xander asked, the tone of his voice serious but with a hint of mirth hiding beneath the somberness. 

Stepping into the water, keeping a tight grip on Xander as he joined him, an instinctual fear sneaking up from the unconscious part of his mind, along with the recent memory of turning and seeing Xander sinking towards the bottom, his legs frantically kicking, arms flailing about as he desperately tried to get himself back to the surface. His heart constricted, breath catching in his throat. That was a scene he would never allow to play out again. In all areas, at all times, he would ensure Xander’s continued safety. 

Warm, calloused fingers brushed against his cheek, jerking him back to reality. Breathing in sharply, he found Xander staring at him with a concerned expression on his handsome face. Stepping closer, wrapping one arm firmly around Ryoma’s broad waist, he squeezed them tightly together, bumping his forehead against Ryoma’s and softly said, his voice full of regret, “I truly am sorry for frightening you. It was a foolish decision to not inform you of my inability to swim.” 

“It was.” Ryoma agreed quietly, wrapping his arms around Xander’s muscular frame, “May we make a promise to one another?” 

“Of course.” 

“No hiding anything anymore. Even if we think it embarrassing or not worth noting, we’ll still tell each other.”

Lovingly kissing the corner of Ryoma’s lips, Xander nodded, “Yes, I like the sound of that promise.” 

“We’re in agreement, then?” 

“We are. I swear to you that I won’t hide anything, no matter how small, from you anymore.” 

“I swear the same.” Ryoma said with a smile, leaning forward to seal the promise with a gentle kiss, “Now, shall we get on with the first lesson?” 

“You never did answer what the first lesson will be.” Xander pointed out, moving further into the water, stopping when it reached his waist. 

Following after him then moving in even deeper, Ryoma said, “The first lesson of swimming is learning how to be buoyant - how to float.” 

Once his feet were just touching the bottom of the lake, Ryoma turned and held his hand out to Xander. Without a single hint of hesitation, Xander took it, allowing himself to be pulled in deeper. Since he was a bit taller than him, Xander had no trouble standing up straight in the deeper water. Bending over slightly, Ryoma slipped one arm underneath his knees, while the other went around his back. In one graceful movement, he picked Xander up off his feet, cradling him in his arms like a Princess. Chuckling underneath his breath at the startled expression on Xander’s face, Ryoma let him get adjusted, gave him a couple seconds to get prepared then maneuvered him into a floating position. 

It took a couple tries but, as always, Xander was quick to catch on. In no time at all, he was easily floating on the water’s surface, his expression relaxed, eyes halfway closed. Keeping his arms underneath Xander at all times just in case something caused him to panic, Ryoma was content to just watch him float about, drinking in the lovely look on his handsome face but after a while, Xander chuckled, “I think I’ve mastered this step.” 

“Alright,” Ryoma responded, a little sad that they were moving on already, “I’m going to move away, then. If you can keep yourself afloat, we’ll move on to the next step.” 

Stepping back, letting his arms slip out from underneath Xander, he kept close enough just in case but, thankfully, it did seem that he had gotten this step down. After floating about carefree for several moments, Xander inquired, turning his head slightly so he could peek over at Ryoma, “So, the next step?” 

Ryoma pretended to think for a moment, crossing his arms over his chest and gazing off to the side thoughtfully before flickering his gaze back with a smile. Sliding over to where Xander was floating, he pressed a warm kiss onto his wet lips and murmured, “A reward for my wonderful student for doing so well.” 

Chuckling, Xander returned the kiss with one of his own, “I think I will like being your student. What will the reward be when I finally master swimming?” 

“That’s a surprise.” Ryoma teased, “Now, the next step! You’ve mastered buoyancy so let’s work on holding your breath underwater.” 

“Sounds easy enough.” Xander commented, “Here or closer to shore?” 

“Closer to shore. You can sit down on the bottom and have something stable beneath you while you learn.” 

Slipping his arms underneath Xander once more, happily welcoming back his warmth and the comforting feeling of his weight in his arms, Ryoma easily carried him closer to the shore, stopping when they had once again reached waist level. Letting him slip away, keeping a strong hold on his arm as he righted himself, Ryoma offered a warm smile and said, “We’ll do a little bit at a time. You’ll be fully submerging yourself so it wouldn’t be wise to rush it. Alright, hold your breath then slowly lower yourself until you’re completely underwater.” 

“Are you certain that this is this necessary?” Xander asked, quirking one eyebrow, “I am capable of both holding my breath and submerging myself.” 

“Oho, questioning your teacher, are you?” Ryoma playfully inquired, the corners of his mouth tilting upwards into a teasing grin. 

Sighing in defeat, clearly sensing that there would be no skipping this step, Xander pulled in a deep breath, held it then sunk down into the water. A bit quicker than Ryoma would have wanted but he had no time to chastise him for rushing since the moment the water closed over Xander’s head, he shot back up, gasping and coughing frantically. Instinctively rushing forward, Ryoma grabbed hold of Xander’s upper arms, helping him keep upright as he dragged in deep, shaky breaths. Reaching up to push sopping hair out of his red face, he asked, “Are you alright?” 

“Yes.” Xander coughed, “My apologizes.” 

“No need to apologize.” Ryoma reassured him, lightly stroking his wet cheek, “What happened?” 

“I don’t know.” Xander shook his head, “The moment my head went other water, I panicked. I was,” the words caught and he fell silent for a moment before hanging his head, the tips of the ears peeking out through his blond hair tinged pink, “frightened.” 

Slipping a finger underneath Xander’s chin, Ryoma raised his head back up and leaned forward to kiss him gently. Wrapping one arm firmly around his broad waist, he pressed their chests together, adoring the feeling of Xander’s skin against his own, and said, “There is no shame in being frightened. This is just an indication we show move slower.” 

“It is shameful.” Xander mumbled, his gaze cast away from Ryoma’s face, “It is only water.” 

“It’s water you just nearly drowned in.” Ryoma reminded him, “It’s water that you have negative associations with. Of course you’d be frightened.” 

Peppering little kisses all over Xander’s face, everywhere he could reach, Ryoma murmured, “The only one here is I, and you know I would never judge you for such a thing, just as you would never judge me. So please, my love, don’t be so hard on yourself.” 

Chuckling softly, Xander quietly commented, “That is asking a lot of me.” 

Kissing the tip of Xander’s nose, Ryoma replied, “Well, I am your teacher, am I not? I will gladly take on both teaching you how to swim and how not to be so hard on yourself.” 

Another chuckle, this one much louder and heartier, “Being too hard on ourselves is something we both struggle with.” 

Ryoma thought for a moment, realized he was quite right then smiled widely, “We’ll be each other’s teacher, then.” Placing a soft kiss on Xander’s lips, he breathed, “We will learn together.” 

Snaking his arms around Ryoma’s back, further cementing them together, Xander nodded, “Yes, I like the sound of that.” 

“Good!” Ryoma declared happily, “Now, perhaps we should just get you used to being in water.” Taking Xander’s hand into his own, he lead him back to shore, stopping just shore of getting out of the water. Still holding loosely onto Xander’s hand, Ryoma sat down into the shallow water and gestured for Xander to follow him. Sitting between his legs, looking rather relieved to be out of the deeper water, Xander slid backwards until his back was resting comfortably against Ryoma’s chest. Sighing contentedly as Ryoma’s arms wrapped around him, fully relaxing into his hold, Xander tucked his head underneath Ryoma’s chin, shifted around for a moment more to find the most comfortable spot then went still. 

Resting his chin on top of Xander’s head, Ryoma stared out over the surface of the lake and said, “I will not allow anything to happen to you. You will not drown or even come close to drowning, I promise you.” 

“I know.” Xander replied sleepily, stroking the pads of his fingers in slow circles on Ryoma’s thigh. A moment of peaceful silence followed before being broken when Xander quietly said, “Thank you, Ryoma.” 

“Of course.” Ryoma murmured in response, tightening his hold on Xander. 

The silence returned, pleasant and content. Tomorrow, Ryoma decided, if they had free time, which they never truly had much of, they would return to the lake to resume Xander’s lesson. Next would be working on helping him overcome the panic of being underwater. He wasn’t really certain how he was going to do that or if perhaps he should try to teach him the basic motions of swimming first then switch to overcoming the panic, having utilized Xander with all the necessary info and tools needed to swim but that was something he’d think on later. Right now, he wanted to focus on the warm body in his arms, on the consistent rise and fall of his chest, on his familiar scent, the sensation of his hair tickling the underside of his chin, on his Xander. 

Tomorrow would bring more lessons, hopefully but the rest of the current day would be spent towards simply enjoying being close to one another.


End file.
